


To a quiet life and those without

by Kalloway



Category: Gunslinger Girl
Genre: Gen, Late Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-16
Updated: 2018-01-16
Packaged: 2019-03-05 12:01:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 408
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13387386
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kalloway/pseuds/Kalloway
Summary: Set late vol. 15. Claes and Rico and poetry.





	To a quiet life and those without

**Author's Note:**

> for genprompt_bingo 13, 'poetry', though containing a minimum of poetry, thankfully? 
> 
> (and yes, I realize the language difference would impact potential poetry, but... shhhh)

"What are your reading?" Rico questioned as she let herself into Claes' room. She looked a little pale and Claes ushered her into a chair. Rico's health was finally failing, which they both knew, but neither remarked on it. 

"A book of poetry," Claes said once Rico was seated. "Would you like me to read one to you?"

"Mmm... Okay."

Claes nodded and cleared her throat and then went back a couple of pages to a poem she'd quite liked and read that. She knew someone more used to reading aloud would do better with it, but when she'd finished, Rico was smiling. 

"I didn't really understand all of it, but it sounded good," Rico admitted. "It was about a beautiful day, right?"

"I think it was about love, too," Claes said. "I don't really know. Poems can often be interpreted multiple ways. They're almost like a secret code and, in fact, they have been used as secret codes in the past."

"I wonder if Jean knows that... Maybe better than he doesn't; I don't want to have to start writing poems to him."

"I don't think he'd expect you to do that." Claes smiled anyway at the thought of anyone on the ship trying to communicate with poetry. Maybe Petrushka and Alessandro could? It would probably be terrible poetry, but who was she to judge?

"Have you ever written a poem?" Rico questioned. Claes shook her head. 

"It just has to rhyme, right?" 

Claes didn't see a need to explain that not all poems rhymed - not at the moment, at least. This was probably something to keep them busy for the afternoon and not a long term project...

Maybe she could write about her garden, or painting, or...

"Boat... Float... Goat...?" 

Claes blinked at Rico and smiled. "Let me find us some paper," she said as she set her book aside and pushed back her chair. It was heavy, to keep it from moving around too much when the ship rocked, and could lock to the table, but that didn't bother Claes at all. She was used to it and knew how much strength she needed to use...

"Coat," Rico added to the list she was ticking off on her fingers. 

Maybe, Claes thought as she took some paper from a drawer, she could write about Angelica. About everyone... 

And about her quiet life.

She was fairly sure she already knew what the first line would be.


End file.
